Tag: science fiction

Deadly monsters of Doctor Who in San Diego!

Should we all be worried? Many of Doctor Who’s most dangerous adversaries have materialized in San Diego!

Fortunately, most are confined inside the Monster Vault at the Comic-Con Museum. People can safely observe the deadly creatures and robots while moving through the museum’s epic exhibition Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction.

A huge collection of props from Doctor Who, the world’s longest running science fiction television show, is possibly the coolest part of the exhibition.

Today, as I visited the Comic-Con Museum, I noticed many Doctor Who fans entering the Monster Vault and remembering some of the show’s most terrifying episodes. Some of the detailed, life-size props are super scary. I wouldn’t care to meet real-life versions!

There are menacing Daleks–the Doctor’s arch-enemy: a hateful, genetically-modified species bent on conquest. There is mad scientist Davros, creator of the Daleks. There are different versions of the deadly cyborg Cybermen.

There is a mutated Dreg, a Sea Devil and a Silurian (both evolved reptiles), an armored Sontaran warrior, an Ice Warrior, a parasitic Weeping Angel that moves when you’re not looking, a bug-eyed Wrath Warrior, and more!

As a nearby sign explains: When designing monsters, sometimes the show’s creators explore different options that don’t make it to the screen… The possibilities of alien life are only as limited as our imagination.

The Monster Vault is one of my favorite parts of Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction. But there’s a lot more to see!

I’ll be blogging more about the Comic-Con Museum’s fantastic (and educational) Doctor Who exhibit in my next post!

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Doctor Who exhibition coming to San Diego!

Doctor Who and science fiction fans, take note! The exhibition Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction is coming soon to San Diego!

Both fun and educational, the world-class exhibit will open at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park on March 15, 2025.

The museum will be overflowing with iconic props, sets, and behind-the-scenes materials from Doctor Who, the world’s longest-running science fiction television show!

BBC Studios and scientific advisors will help produce an interactive experience that will inspire Comic-Con Museum visitors, as they learn about scientific topics touched upon in episodes of Doctor Who. As a promotional flyer explains: It is a must-see for families, school groups, Doctor Who fans, curious minds and future scientists, whether or not they have seen the TV show.

People I spoke to at the museum today are super excited to be hosting this epic exhibition.

Mark it down on your calendars! I can’t wait!

…

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Thank you for sharing!

Author promotes books with sandwich board!

When you self-publish, it can be difficult selling your book. Friends, coworkers and relatives are potential buyers, but reaching new customers in this great big world can be daunting. Author websites are numerous and precious few rise to the top of general search engine results. Most people scrolling through social media have short attention spans, and few are interested in purchasing a book. Conventional marketing requires money, and the result might be less than satisfying. So what is one to do?

Well, I met indie author Daniel X Ostenso (D X O) this weekend while exploring Balboa Park. He was strolling through the crowd wearing an advertising sandwich board!

What a great (albeit unusual) idea! Signed books for sale, a special offer, an outgoing personality, and the sheer novelty of his sandwich board immediately caught my attention.

His gumption in getting out there while appearing a bit strange is commendable. And you never know how gumption might be unexpectedly rewarded.

Check out the science fiction novels and other works authored by Daniel X Ostenso by clicking here.

He has traveled extensively with a beloved dog. Check out his YouTube video Kaylee’s Life in Five Minutes by clicking here.

Daniel donates money to animal shelters with every sale.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

The Wild Robot cast appears at Comic-Con!

Lupita Nyong’o and Kit Connor surprised an outdoor crowd today at Comic-Con 2024 when they appeared in public to promote their upcoming animated film The Wild Robot!

Late Saturday morning, a remote controlled robot version of Roz (the movie’s protagonist), created and operated by Catalyst Engineers, was standing near the entrance to the Omni San Diego Hotel, moving its head and body and talking to random fans who’d gathered nearby. Little did anyone know that voice actress Lupita Nyong’o was actually hidden from sight and speaking through the robot.

When the cast members suddenly appeared from around a corner, the crowd went crazy!

The Wild Robot is an upcoming American animated science fiction film that will hit movie theaters on September 27, 2024.

I arrived early and waited for several minutes, having an inkling of what might transpire, and managed somehow to get some fun celebrity photographs!

Oh–that bird on Roz’s shoulder is an orphaned gosling with whom the robot develops a relationship while shipwrecked on an uninhabited island.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Costumes of Doctor Who and Star Trek at Comic-Con!

Costumes worn by actors in both the Doctor Who and Star Trek science fiction franchises are now being displayed in San Diego for Comic-Con 2024!

The free-to-the-public exhibition is titled Friendship is Universal. It’s located at two separate locations: 226 and 230 Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. The original television and movie costumes fill the latter address, and that’s where I took these photographs yesterday afternoon. (I’m afraid I accidentally missed two Star Trek costumes as I moved through the exhibit–Seven of Nine and Kathryn Janeway.)

If you’re in San Diego during San Diego Comic-Con this year, check it out! The offsite activation opens each day at 11 am. There is a photo op and merch to be had at the second address, just a few steps away. The lines for both locations tend to be small.

If you can’t see these costumes in person, please enjoy some cool photos!

Through fifteen Doctors and their companions and over a dozen brave captains and their crews, we’ve traveled on journeys spanning the cosmos…

Doctor Who costumes:

Left: Amy Pond, Vincent and the Doctor Costume. Right: Eleventh Doctor, Various.

Left: Yasmin Khan, Flux Costume. Right: Thirteenth Doctor, Various.

Left: Fourteenth Doctor, 60th Anniversary Costume. Right: Donna Noble, 60th Anniversary Costume.

Left: Ruby Sunday, Boom Costume. Right: Fifteenth Doctor, Boom Costume.

Star Trek costumes:

Left: Beckett Mariner, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Right: Brad Boimler, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Left: Nyota Uhura, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Right: Hemmer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Left: Emperor Philippa Georgiou, Star Trek: Discovery. Right: Michael Burnham, Star Trek: Discovery.

Left: James T. Kirk. Right: Spock.

Visor used by Geordi La Forge.

Hat and pipe used by Data playing Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Evolved apes rule San Diego at Comic-Con!

It’s day one of San Diego Comic-Con 2024. This morning I walked into the Forbidden Zone at the free Comic-Con offsite Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes not knowing what I might encounter. I found a very cool activation, and evolved apes that rule!

Waiting in line for this activation, located on MLK Promenade, took perhaps 15 minutes, and was definitely well worth it. If you’re a fan of any of the ten Planet of the Apes films, starting with the classic Charlton Heston movie in 1968 (my favorite–best movie ending ever), you’ll absolutely love what you find!

There are lots of props and models and costumes and photographs from the movies, and then a live falcon for a cool photo op, believe it or not! Then you can learn how to walk like an ape, as actors have done in the making of these films. You use crutch-like arm extensions and it’s not as easy as you’d think. At the end of the activation there’s a photo booth, and you can snag a free poster.

Check out some photos. In the darker areas, my camera doesn’t perform terribly well, so I guess you’ll have to go see everything for yourself! Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is open 10 am to 7 pm during Comic-Con 2024.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Star Trek captains beam down to Comic-Con!

This morning I noticed that two Star Trek captains are beaming down to San Diego for Comic-Con 2024! They’re materializing high up on the Marriott Marquis hotel in the form of a gigantic building wrap!

The wrap, when finished, will no doubt promote Star Trek shows on Paramount+.

(That yellow section in the middle of captains Picard and Pike is an old Esri User Conference wrap being removed now that their recent convention is over.)

I’ll take more photos once this cool Star Trek wrap is completed and post them below as an update!

UPDATE!

The awesome Star Trek wrap appeared to be nearly finished the following morning. I added contrast to the photos to bring out the colors, as our San Diego sun hadn’t yet penetrated the early overcast.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Fantastic art of John Jennings at Comic-Con Museum!

Are you a fan of science fiction, horror, comic books or graphic novels? You don’t want to miss Collaboration(s)! A Journey with John Jennings, a fantastic new exhibit that opened last week at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park!

John Jennings is an Eisner Award–winning and New York Times best-selling artist, designer and author who has worked in comics for over twenty years. He’s also a professor of media and cultural studies at the University of California, Riverside and the director of the Abrams ComicArts imprint Megascope, which publishes graphic novels focused on the experiences of people of color.

Jennings was introduced to comics by his mother at a young age, and fell in love with the medium, whose possibilities are limited only by human imagination. Since then he has made many notable contributions to the popular culture.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the new Marvel character, Ghost Light. Jennings was the creator! He is the author of the 2023 comic series Silver Surfer: Ghost Light.

The African American character Ghost Light actually began his life as Al Harper, a physicist and friend to Silver Surfer, who sacrificed his life to save the world in a 1969 story titled And Who Shall Mourn for Him? That was back in Marvel’s comic book Silver Surfer #5.

Jennings brought the character back in a way that represents the modern African American experience. Ghost Light also reflects John Jennings’ artistic collaboration with co-creators and his love of Afrofuturism, which can be observed throughout this new museum exhibit. He has helped to create thousands of images that have been enjoyed in art shows and diverse publications.

As my few photos demonstrate, you’ll be dazzled by the bold, very colorful comic artwork produced by this prolific artist. You’ll see familiar Marvel superheroes, monsters and dark horror, images filled with symbolism and mythological and historical references, and futuristic wonders that might blow your mind!

Visitors to the exhibit can also “collaborate” with the artist by writing a story or coloring a sketch, and then share it on a wall in a Comic-Con Museum gallery. Very cool!

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Yoda and space ship graffiti in San Diego!

The building at 2905 Commercial Street in San Diego was recently spray painted with a huge, very cool mural by graffiti artist Qvo (@qvo_one). The graphics depict various space ships and Yoda from Star Wars using The Force!

Check it out! Do you see the upside down Darth Vader helmet?

The proximity of cars parked by the narrow sidewalk made photography awkward, resulting in some odd angles. I took the photos into the sun, which explains the less than ideal lighting. Contrast was increased for most of the photos to bring out the colors.

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Going “back to the future” in San Diego!

It’s now possible to go “back to the future” in San Diego. A newly opened exhibition at the Comic-Con Museum, POPnology, takes visitors back in time, demonstrating how fantasies in the popular culture have often predicted future technology!

Artificial intelligence, smartphones, robotics, 3D-printing, virtual reality . . . many technological developments were first depicted in science fiction (including pulp magazines, novels, television, movies) long before they became real. POPnology celebrates how fantasy can become reality!

Do you know that author Jules Verne, in the 19th century, dreamed up videoconferencing, moon rockets and electric submarines? And that H. G. Wells predicted genetic engineering, lasers and automatic doors? And that Ray Bradbury anticipated earbuds, self-driving cars and ATMs, long before they existed?

This extensive exhibition is loaded with nostalgic artifacts, models and interactive displays. If you’re interested in the history of technology, there’s plenty of information for your brain.

And for fun? There’s a Back to the Future DeLorean, complete with flux capacitor! (Will time travel be in our future?) Kids can remotely manipulate a robot arm to transport dinosaur eggs. (Jurassic Park!) There’s an honest-to-goodness 3D-printed automobile. There are lots and lots of cool robots–a sure kid-pleaser. And much more!

There are surprising new discoveries at every turn!

POPnology is certain to fascinate both the young and the old, as it transports curious minds from the past (and present) to the future.

I took a few photographs at the Comic-Con Museum to provide a small taste….

…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!